Workers at 11 refineries, chemical plants reject Shell offer

Refinery workers reject latest offer

Union negotiators for workers at 11 area refineries and chemical plants announced today that they have rejected Shell’s latest contract proposal.

“We are having difficult times in negotiations, and the talks are progressing slowly,” said Lynne Baker, a spokeswoman for the United Steelworkers Union. “We will continue to meet, and we will meet throughout the day today.”

The offer, the third Shell has proposed during the course of the nationwide oil bargaining, would have raised wages 2.5 percent each year for three years. The proposal also offered a one-time $500 ratification bonus and $250 a year to workers for their unreimbursed medical expenses, if they completed an unspecified health and wellness program.

The current contract expires at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, raising the prospect that 30,000 energy and chemical workers nationwide, including 4,200 in the Houston area, could strike.

Shell Oil Co., which is representing the energy industry, has been meeting with negotiators of the United Steelworkers Union in Austin.